Apparatus for handling loose material



oct. 27, 1925.

G. W. PACKER APPARATUS FOR' HANDLING LOOSE MAERIAL Aorigin-.11 Filed bec. 16,v 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f A A A A A l. A A A A y\ A A citizenof the United States, residing 'at` Patented Oct. 27, 19,215.

' ll-,risamn UNITED. 'srjfls PATENT;OFFICE? GLENN'W. PACKER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssI'eNoa To GoonMAN MANUrAcrUR-- ING COMPANY, or C HI'cAcfo,` ILLINOIS, A conroaArIoNor ILLINOIS..

APPARATUS, ron HANDLING- 'Loosn MATEBIAL Application med December 16,'192`o, semi 119.451,251; :renewed April 16,1925,

To all whom t may concern: v Be it known that I, GLENN W. PACKER, a

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of. Illinois, havel invented an Apparatusfor AHandling Loose Material, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements' in` apparatus for handling'loose-material and more particularly to scraping devices for transporting coal from the'working face of a mine to an entry forI loading in mine cars. The object of thev present invention isto provide a simple and moreeiiicient apparatus of the class above' described and an improved method ofl operating the same.

My invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 1s a top 'plan view of the 'turningmechanism, comprising part of p my 'im- 'proved apparatus.

Figures 2 to 5 inclusive, are diagrammatic viewsllustrating a typical installation of the apparatus in a mine, and showing the scraper in various positions with respect to the turning mechanism. i Figure 6 is a vertical cross section'of the turning mechanism, tal'ren on` line 64-6 of Figurel. v

f Figure 7 is a detail. I Scraper loading devices which have here' tofor been used in mines usually include a scraper which is moved by meansoflexible cable operated by a suitable hoisting enfv ginel vW'ith devices of this character,l however', it is often found necessary, on account of operating conditions, to change the direction of movement of the scraper -in moving it from the working face to thepoint" of loading on the cars, and again in returning to the starting point. For instance, \vhen such a device is 'used in the room and pillar system of mining, the working face of the mine is usually at an angle to the direc.-

Y tion of movement of the scraper toward the room entrance. As a large portionof the room is usually occupied with Waste material ,or mine rops, .it is' necessary tc direct vthe .scraper-.1.` rst along the mine face `and .theii'n apatlralong'oneside ofthe room to-y ward the room' entrance. y-Heretofore the' crwardf-movement'ofthe scraper `has been changed b providing A one orJ 'more fixed, sheaves adgacent the end of the working face adapted to'bedetachably engaged ,bythe 'head rope'or dragl line'of the scraper. The

ation Aof the room andpillar system, and

comprises a scoop or scraper 1 having a head rope 2 and a tailv rope 3, each of said ropes being operated bya suitable hoisting engine, l(not shown) usually situated at or return o r rearward movement of thev scraper Y has been directed by a defiector or guide pul- -w outside'of the entrance of the mine room.

A preferred construction of the scraper. 1l comprises a body-.portion including upright sidewalls 1A, 1A converging at the rear of, i

the' scraper in a rounded end portion 1B.

The working face 5.01:' the Aroom lis advanced longitudinally of the `room as the mining operation proceeds. In the room il lustrated, thisy face isformed substantially "usV atright angles tothe side walls 6 and 7 although it may be found preferable. under some circumstances to form the face at an room entrance,'as will subsequently appear.. The tail rope 3 is led'around a stationary sheave Sanchored inthe far corner ofthe room and from thencearoundsuitable guiding sheaves to the hoisting engine. At the vopposite corner of.v the room, but removed to engage the mine roof in the usual manner,4

and an irregularlyshaped retaining lmember 14 atl its lower end adaptedto engage a base plate .15. Said retaining member is of inserted in a' slot 17 in said -base plate as shown. The base plate is provided4 with suitable downwardly extending portions ior engaging the floor of the mine, preferably .obtuse-angle to the sidewall 7 nearest the 10d Ipreferably formed in the shape'of an in- 'verted prism having thelower, edge 16 there` formed byv turning the corners 15, 15a, of said base plate downwardly as shown.` Suit#A f able .stops 18, 19, herein shown as att-ached to the base plate l5 Iorfiinntmg the movement lll) -20, 21, are mounted one on each end ofthe arms 10, 11, respectively. `When in operation, and jack 13 is placed in a vertical position and forms a pivot bearing for th turning device 9 as shown. v

The use and operation of my device is as follows:

When ,the scraper is in starting position' shown in full lines in Figure 2, the lead rope 2 is engaged about the pulley 2001i the end of arm 10. dien a pulling force 1s exerted on the 4lead rope, thc turning de" vice l() is restrained from rotation bv the stop 18 on the base plate 15.l From the initial position, the scra Jer along the mine face 5, ygat-hers a load o coal, and approaches the turning device 9 until the scraper is brought into-contact with the arm l() ,as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. A continued pull on the head rope 2 will swing vthev turning device about its pivot, causing the scraper' to'turn therewith. As the arm 11 turns with the arm 10,- the roller 21 of the former is swung intoA position shownin Figure 8, where it will Contact with the .tail rope 3 after the scraper is advanced in `the changedV direction.

The turning. device continues to pivot until the arm 10 enga-gesthe stop 19 on the base plate 15 as shown in Figure 4.-, in which position the scraper is fully turned into linewith the entrance ofthe room, the tail rope 3 is engaged by the roller 21, and the scraper may continue its movement toward the room' entrance to be unloaded in the usual manner. The returning movement of the scraper to the startingpoint is substantially the reverse of the above described movements, viz, the hea-d rope 2 is released, and the tail rope 3 is pulled so as to bring the rearend of the scraper into engagement with 'the armll. to pivot the turning device in the reverse direction. The roller l0 is brought into contact with the head rope 2 and the scraper is returned to aposition substantially parallel with the Working face 5, as shown in dotted lines' in Figure 5, from whenceit may be drawn rearwardly to the starting position in the far corner -of the room. y In the preferred form of my device illustrated, the arm 10 is somewhat longer than the arm l1, so that the scraper will be swung in a path nearer the working face 5 during its vforward or loading movement than when the scraper is being returned to its starting position, as will be seen by comaring Figures 2 and It will further be noted that the arms 10 and 11 are positioned iasfsepoov at an oblique angle to each other. This arrangement is preferable in cases where the change of direction of movement of the scraper loader is approximately at a right angle, but `would not be necessary in cases where the change in direction is more than a right angle..

It has been before suggested that the Working face 5 might be formed at an obtuse angle to the side wall 7. Such an arrangement has been found to be more economical in many cases where mining conditions permit, on account of the increased length of the Working face afforded by this arrangement. l

From` the above description, it will be seen that. as the working face 5 is advanced, the fixed sheave 8 and the turning device 9 will be advanced accordingly, to transport the coal away from the face. The apparatus is easily put in'place, and affords a continuous movement of the scraper both forwardly and backwardly about the turning device, and minimizes the manual labor required for handling the draft ropes and scraper.

It will be understood that I have rshown my .improved apparatus as applied to one system of mining merely for the. purpose of illustration of its use, but that it is readily adapted to diversified uses for transporting material, as for instance in eX- cavatingy and grading operations. Furthermore, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the construction of apparatus illustrated excepting as specically defined in the appended claims.

I claim asmy invention:

1.V In a device o'f the class described, in combination vwith a scraper, twodraft devices for moving the same in oposite directions, and a turning device adapted to be moved by said scraper -into a plurality of positions -for successively engaging said draft devices. 5

2In a device of the classdescribed, in combination with a scraper, two draft de vices for. moving the same in opposite directions, a'turning device adapted to be moved by said scraper into a plurality of positions for successively engaging said draft devices and means for limiting the movement of said turning device. Y

3. In a conveying apparatus, in combination with a scraper having two draft devices for moving the same in opposite directions, a turning device having a pair of op erative'ly connected bearing members spaced apart, for successively engaginfr said draft devices.

4. In a conveying apparatus, in combination with a 'scraper havingtwo draft def vices for moving the same in oppositedirections, a turning device having a pair of operatively connected bearing members spaced devices, a turningdevicc comprising two.

rocking arms arranged at an angle to each .other and each adapted to successively engage the draft devices :it either 'end of said scraper.

6. In a conveying apparatus, in combination with a scraper, having suitable draft devices, a turning device comprising two rocking arms arranged at an angle to each other and each adapted to successively en gage the draft devicesat either end ofsaid scraper, and means for limiting the movement ofv said arms.

7. -In a conveying apparatus, in combination with a scraper having suitable draft devices, a turning device comprising two rocking arms arranged'at an angle to each other, each adapted to Asuccessively engage the draftY devices. at veither end of said scraper, said arms being of different lengths.

8. In a conveying apparatus, in combina-` tion. with a scraper having suitable ,draft devices, a turning device comprising two rocking arms of different lengths arranged at an angle to each other and each adapted to successively engage the draft devices at either endv of said'scraper, and means for limiting the movement of said arms. A

9. .In a conveying apparatus, in combination with a scraper having suitable draft devices, a turning'device comprising two rocking arms provided with bearing meinbers for said draft devices, one of said arms I coacting with the scraper to move the other arm into engagemeiitwith the sides of said scraper adjacent to tlieiear end thereof.

10. In a conveying apparatus, in combina- .tion with a scraper having suitable draft devices,` a turning device comprising two rocking arms provided with bearing inembers for said draft devices, one Aof said arms coacting with the advance end of the scraper to move the other arin into engagement 'with the side of such scraper, adjacent to the rear end thereof, and means for limiting the movement of one of said arms.

`11.` In combination with a draft. operatedscraper, a turning device, means for mount-- ing said device `comprising a bearing meni. ber havingan irregularly shaped projection at its lower end, a base plate having a corresponding depression for receiving said proof lDecember 1920.

jection, and means for applying pressure on said bearing member.

12. In combination with a draft operatedl scraper, a turning device, means for mounting said device comprising a bearing meinher, a separable base plate for engaging the floor, and means on said base plate for limit! ing the movement of. said turning device.

13. In combination with a draft operated scraper, a turning device, means for mounting said device comprising a bearing-ineinber having an irregularly shaped projection at its .lower end, a base plate having a corresponding depression for receiving said projection, means for applying pressure on said :bearing member, and means on said base plate for limiting the movement of said turnin device.

14. n aconveying apparatus, 'a scraper having side walls converging toward the rear end thereof, draft devices for moving t-he scraper in opposite directions, a turning device having a p'air of .operativelyr connectd ed bearing members spaced' apa-rt, for' successively engaging said draft devices.

15. In a conveying apparatus, a scraper having side walls converging toward the rear end thereof, draft devices for moving the scraper in opposite directions, a turning device comprising -two rocking arms arranged at an angle-to each other and each adapted to successively engage the draft devices at either end of said scraper.

16. In a conveying apparatus, a. scraper having side Walls converging toward the rear end thereof, draft .devices for moving the scraper in opposite directions, a turning `device comprising twogrocking arms prodevices, one of said arms coacting with the scraper to move the other arm into engage-I ment with the side of said scraper adjacent to' the rear end thereof.

17. In the conveying apparatus, a scraper having side walls converging towards the rear end thereof, draft devices for moving the scraper in opposite directions, a turning device comprising two rocking arms proyvided with bearing members for said draft devices, one of said arms coacting .with the scraper to move the other arm into engagement with the side of said scraper adjacent the rear end thereof, andmeans for limiting the movement of said turning device.

iio

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 13 day GLENN W. PACKER. 

